Hugo Chávez To Receive Cancer Treatment In Brazil

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will travel to Brazil for cancer treatment, according to Brazilian daily A Folha de São Paulo. The newspaper did not cite sources, but a Brazilian government official also told Reuters that Chávez would seek treatment in Brazil.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who faced her own bout with cancer in her lymphatic system last year, offered Chávez last week to come to her country for treatment. Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota reiterated the offer.

On June 20, Cuban surgeons removed a tumor that Chávez described as “the size of a baseball.” The Venezuelan authorities originally reported that Chávez had surgery for a pelvic abscess. Chávez still refuses to declare publicly what type of cancer he has.

“The medical examinations continue, because there’s still a danger that it could spread,” Chávez said yesterday, referring to his cancer. “The examinations are done organ by organ, and I shouldn’t give any more details.”